Thought I'd share some pics of my latest. This is the second OM I've done in what I've taken to calling my "Bauhaus" style. It's red spruce over EI rosewood, with a walnut neck. The fingerboard and bridge are ebony; bindings are sweet gum, or Liquidamber styraciflua, to be precise. The finish is Tru-Oil.

I made this one for an old buddy of mine who's a carpenter. He wanted a guitar and I needed a fence for our new dog. Done and done! Notice anything odd? Yup, he's a lefty. Weird trying to set up a guitar you can't play.

Wow! Doing some kind of sorcery there with the Tru-oil. Impressive. I also really enjoy your headplate designs. Very unique. It’s a truss rod cover in the middle of the plate? Is it inset into the nut or sanded to match the shape of the back of the nut? Looks cool!

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Really very nice! I love the headplate, position markers, and rosette. The truoil finish is quite nice. Did you buff? What was your process? Also, your tuners seem a little farther in than usual. How far from the end of headstock are they? Beautiful work. I hope you're happy with your fence...

- The truss rod cover is just sanded to mate with the nut at the headstock angle, same as the headplate.- I do not have a buffing arbor, so that final step has always been tricky for me. Over the years I've tried a variety of different "varnishes" and an equally wide array of hand or hand-drill buffing processes. The last three guitars I've taken to simply wiping Tru-Oil on and then off with a blue paper shop towel. I do that until I have a decent build-up, then flat sand, and add another two or three coats. Done. So far this is the best finishing method I have devised for my indoor space. Does it shine like a super-glossy polished lacquer or polyester finish? Nope. But I'm getting close and it has a warmth and feel to it that I think are beautiful.- I'm still tweaking this headstock shape. My goal is to find a pleasing shape (to my eye) that incorporates straight string pull paths. Last time I left a bend in the strings and this time I ended up with the posts a little too far in from the edges. Next time, hopefully, it will be just right.

I bet he built the fence faster than you built the guitar?But if you are both happy, it is a sweet exchange. Lovely instrument. Like you, I am a fan of a hand applied oil finish. Who wants to make something that looks like it came from a factory? Lovely job!

Well executed--visually fun to look at from all angles! I'm a fan of red spruce tops, too--enjoy the unique appearance of each top and the sound they produce. Hope your new dog appreciates all the work!

Nice one George!I find that old cotton t-shirts work better than the blue shop towels, especially for the final coats.20-30 coats of tru oil and thinning ~20% on the last few coats gives me a pretty good gloss.

B

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I'm seriously considering using Tru Oil on my current project. It seems like it gets called out as the 'amateurs' finish in an almost derogatory nature but every freakin single guitar I see with a Tru Oil finish looks fantastic to me. Of course any finish requires skill.

Perhaps one last question about Tru-Oil... Well, maybe its two... Did you pore fill the rosewood? ...and did you put anything under the spruce top, like shellac? I thought Tru-Oil directly on spruce was problematic...

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Perhaps one last question about Tru-Oil... Well, maybe its two... Did you pore fill the rosewood? ...and did you put anything under the spruce top, like shellac? I thought Tru-Oil directly on spruce was problematic...

Yes, I do pore fill and prep the surface as meticulously as I am capable, with a final sanding to 400 grit. I mask the fingerboard extension and bridge footprints with carefully cut pieces of Frisket, seal the entire body with dewaxed shellac, and then start in with the Tru-Oil. If I were a professional I would surely consider the public perception of all aspects of my work, aiming to incorporate what "sells." As it is, I don't have to worry about any of that, leaving me free to build with any woods and materials I like and make anything I like. What's not to like?

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